Jindal: We need to stop being the stupid party

posted at 9:31 am on January 25, 2013 by Allahpundit

Political media was chattering about this speech last night; Erika gave you a taste of it yesterday afternoon. It’s all about brand-building right now for the 2016 field: Rubio’s aiming to show he can solve the GOP’s demographic problems by brokering a deal on immigration; Rand Paul’s trying to prove to mainstream conservatives that he can be trusted on foreign policy; Christie’s wooing the center by lashing out at Republicans and key conservative interest groups like the NRA. And now here’s Jindal, who tore Romney apart after the election for his “47 percent” comments, planting his flag on middle-class economic opportunity and federalism.

The Examiner has a transcript. The “stupid party” comment comes late in the speech and seems to be aimed at Akin and Mourdock babbling about rape, but he thinks the party’s big-picture priorities are pretty stupid too:

Today’s conservatism is completely wrapped up in solving the hideous mess that is the federal budget, the burgeoning deficits, the mammoth federal debt, the shortfall in our entitlement programs…even as we invent new entitlement programs.

We seem to have an obsession with government bookkeeping.

This is a rigged game, and it is the wrong game for us to play…

We think if we can just unite behind a proposal to cut the deficit and debt…if we can just put together a spreadsheet and a power point and a TV ad….all will be well…

By obsessing with zeroes on the budget spreadsheet, we send a not-so-subtle signal that the focus of our country is on the phony economy of Washington – instead of the real economy out here in Charlotte, and Shreveport, and Cheyenne…

We also must face one more cold hard fact – Washington is so dysfunctional that any budget proposal based on fiscal sanity will be deemed ‘not-serious’ by the media, it will fail in the Senate, and it won’t even make it to the President’s desk where it would be vetoed anyway…

If we created American government today, we would not dream of taking money out of people’s pockets, sending it all the way to Washington, handing it over to politicians and bureaucrats to staple thousands of pages of artificial and political instructions to it, then wear that money out by grinding it through the engine of bureaucratic friction…and then sending what’s left of it back to the states, where it all started, in order to grow the American economy…

We believe in planting the seeds of growth in the fertile soil of your economy, where you live, where you work, invest, and dream, not in the barren concrete of Washington.

If it’s worth doing, block grant it to the states.

In other words, it’s time to replace Ryanism (note the line about budget powerpoints and spreadsheets) as the party’s national brand. There’s some sense in that. If you’re looking to dig yourself out of the rubble of two devastating presidential defeats, taking the lead on shrinking America’s beloved entitlement programs is a strange way to do it. The counterargument, though, is that unless the public has it drummed into their skulls, often and in grotesque detail, just what sort of Thunderdome clusterfark we’re facing if mandatory spending (especially mandatory health-care spending) isn’t controlled, they won’t be prepared for those reforms when the time comes to make them. Imagine the GOP sweeping to victory on Jindal’s agenda and then having to take up entitlements, if only out of pure necessity, once elected. That’ll be excruciatingly difficult under any circumstances but less difficult if they have a mandate to deal with the issue by making it a major topic during the preceding election. Then again, this assumes that (a) the public is capable of grasping the full magnitude of the entitlements crisis even under the best circumstances and (b) would be willing to elect a party that promises forthrightly to alter Medicare and Social Security once in power in order to defuse that crisis. Is there any reason to think those assumptions are plausible? We’re cruising along right now with trillion-dollar deficits and the party that doesn’t want to talk about entitlements just romped to victory in November. Maybe we’re better off with the Jindal approach — stop talking about this issue, get elected, and then fall on the grenade when you must.

Here’s the vid. Note the opening dig at Romney’s “Project ORCA” at the beginning. Click the image to watch.

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He’ll have thoroughly wrecked us by 2017 (though I doubt the magnitude of the wreckage will be obvious, as there will still be plenty of leftover seed corn still to be consumed), so what would he want with a third term? Better to transfer power to the UN over the next four years, and then be the Great Healer who becomes the first truly powerful UN Secretary General.

He’ll let some flunky take over that once great but now failing nation that was built on imperialism and greed.

And I’m not trying to aggravate those that like her cause I like her too (although her association with John Bhopal Coale was unfortuate) I think she can be an effective conservative voice especially at the local level in local races. She’s great at loading up the numbers in legislative and gubernatorial races.

The same could be said of Ron Paul’s devotees…or Mitt Roney’s etc.

I think we had a very human reaction since 2008 and the moderates ignoring the conservatives and playing the Tea Party made things worse.

All the democrats & their media apparatus had to do was play it.

As long as Rove et,al. is there to try and push another Bush we are in big trouble.

I’m not gonna say anything more about Bush…But being from Texas, I never bought into a lot of the policies.

The message to the NRC should be: I’ll be leading the State parties to cut you out of the picture, cut off the power the NRC currently holds and move that power down to the State level because they seem to have a clue on what to do.

The NRC is the problem, along with the other National parts of the Party that have decided to ignore the State level part of the party. You want to get the NRC in line as a Republican? Move for the State parties to cut off its funding and positions, and to appoint volunteer willing to work for no pay. You will get members committed to principles, not to party and who aren’t trying to ‘guide the party’ but to ensure that the State messages are brought together and put out at the highest level.

Yeah, that means cutting out the stupid part of the Party and those who cling to it.

They are the ones acting like Democrat-lite members.

To change the Party it must reform… which is to say it needs to REFORM, change its internal operating arrangements in a massive way while keeping the Party name – its form and structure MUST CHANGE for it to be REFORMED into something different. Until that happens it is the Stupid Party and heading the way of the Whigs.

If ONE Pub would have stood up and said, “Ms. Clinton, I’m sure that funding for embassy security is important. But you have what you had in 2009. Nobody, but you or your boss, could have made any cuts because NO ONE HAS PASSED A BUDGET SINCE! And if you can’t do with the extra 800-billion you guys baked into the budget by fixing it the year of the so-called Stimulus package, then I have to doubt the well-worn claim that the only thing wrong with Big Government is conservatives managing it. You’re the party of Big Government, because you can HANDLE the complexities of Big Government. But now, you’re talking about cuts in funding when your boss has had an extra 800 billion to allocate since 2010. And because you can’t be bothered to read cables requesting more security, or nobody in your staff has the acumen to decide how or when to escalate something–or you lack the proper protocol of escalation, we just have to accept that occasionally, diplomats die.”

When you say you can manage the complexities of Big Government, you can’t just say ‘The Bureaucracy did it.’”

All serious aside: can someone in the Gop tell these guys to get to a tailor and pronto! What is this …1987??

can_con on January 25, 2013 at 12:14 PM

Jindal and Ryan both shop at Oversized Suits Warehouse. It is the preferred choice of 40-something Republican policy wonks. And I’m assuming that someone has already hinted to both of them that they should probably actually wear clothes that fit. I’m actually shocked that the Romney campaign didn’t drag Ryan to Nordstroms and make him get clothing that fit.

Isn’t it amazing the difference between the two parties after
a defeat?? I don’t recall the Democrat Party engaging in
this nonsense after their defeat in 2004….they went on
OFFENSE, and over the next two election cycles demolished
the Republicans….yeah I know…Republicans and BALLS..
…sigh…

No, Bobby – What you/the GOP need to do is:
1) You & the rest of the GOP need to grow some b@lls & show some testicular fortitude – put up a fight for what you believe in / know is right….

2) embrace CONSERVATISM – instead of telling the newly-elected Tea Party members to ‘shut up and foall in line; with you ‘GOP Establishment’ types who have failed/keep failing & betraying ‘conservatism’, listen to THEM (no more closed door meetings/negotiations, no more ‘short-notice’ bill votes – 72 hours to read the bills as promised or be prepared to get a ‘NO’ vote….

3) NO DEBT CEILING DISCUSSIONS UNTIL THE LAW IS OBEYED – A BUDGET IS PASSED)….

4) Use the ‘Minority Bully Pulpit’ – hire PR people, get the message out, & throw the ‘gentlemne’s agreements you have with Liberals out the window…you are ‘playing nice’ and ‘kissing the a$$e$’ of those who openly lie, openly admit to doing so (Obama Time Magazine article), & openly flaunt the fact that they are violating both law & Constitution as they see fit…

5) FINALLY, as a court decision just pointed out GAIN…Obama is ABUSING POWER & violating the Constitution more and more, as it suits his agenda — remember your oaths to protect & defend the Constitution – threaten to (or DO IT) IMPEACH the man for his continued display of disregard for his oath of office, the Constitution, & Rule of Law! (See #1 – ‘grow a pair’!)

The GOP is the Party of Stupid, because it reflects its base (Teabaggers, clingers, religious extremists, etc).

The biggest advantage the Democrats have, going forward, is that Republicans are usually too stupid to learn from their mistakes.

chumpThreads on January 25, 2013 at 12:54 PM

The Democrat Party is the party of Liars, covering up
their endless parade of self styled martyrs, Occupiers
who Sh*t on cars, Atheists, Supporters of NAMBLA, globull
warming fanatics, and Utopian azzwipes……
..the biggest advantage the Republicans have going forward is
the total destruction of our Society from these Cretins,
giving the common citizenry the overwhelming disire to
improve their lives.

Jindal and Ryan both shop at Oversized Suits Warehouse. It is the preferred choice of 40-something Republican policy wonks. And I’m assuming that someone has already hinted to both of them that they should probably actually wear clothes that fit. I’m actually shocked that the Romney campaign didn’t drag Ryan to Nordstroms and make him get clothing that fit.

Illinidiva on January 25, 2013 at 12:29 PM

Agreed about that. Especially when you are out there giving a speeches about “messaging”.

Agreed about that. Especially when you are out there giving a speeches about “messaging”.

I don’t know.. I find the fact that Ryan (and apparently Jindal as well) are incapable of picking out appropriate clothes and their wives let them get away with it sort of endearing. In fact, I hope that the bad suits (and in Ryan’s case, neon collared ties that his kids got him for Father’s Day) remain if either man becomes President.

Christie’s wooing the center by lashing out at Republicans and key conservative interest groups like the NRA.

ANY and I mean ANY Republican who EVER votes for Chris Christie, is not a Republican at all, but a DEMOCRAT. Chris Christie is the WORST sort of opportunist; he disgusts me.

And, Bobby Jindal is as “stupid” as they come.

Beating up on Republicans–particularly when it’s done with SUCH OBFUSCATION AS THIS–is the height of arrogance. Any Republican who buys into this NONSENSE is a fool. After all, WHAT HAS JINDAL SAID? Nothing at all. It’s all about the message of repudiation of his own party!

With friends like these…..

At least Marco Rubio is behaving with DIGNITY and not RUTTING IN THE MUD LIKE THE OTHER TWO PIGS.

God, almighty!

I absolutely WILL NOT cast a vote for Christie OR Jindal in 2016 and I don’t give a feckin’ rat’s ass if the Democrats win again–which they most certainly WILL if either Christie or Jindal are the nominee of the Republican Party!!!

Legal Insurrection’s William Jacobson, commenting on another issue, gets to the heart of Jindal’s sad opportunistic bleating:

“Republicans face a choice that can best be characterized by personalizing it. A healthy, optimistic party is Reaganesque, convinced that it can win the future by embracing it, and by making a positive case for its philosophy and candidates to all Americans. A party in decline is Nixonian and fears the future; it sees enemies everywhere, feels overwhelmed by electoral trends, and thinks it can win only by cheating, by subverting the system and stacking the deck in its favor. Whose presidency was more successful, Reagan’s or Nixon’s? Which man made the Republican brand more appealing?”

I guess the problem I have with all this is that “stop being stupid” sounds so much easier than it really is. Yes, the GOP often misses the mark in terms of priorities, outreach, and messaging. But that has little to do with the fact that 51% of the American people are LIBERALS. It’s a center-Left country now. You want to get “not-stupid?” It starts by acknowledging that one simple fact. The people in this country who want to work hard, build wealth for themselves and their families, want limited small government, and not be steeped in a cultural sewer are the minority. How do you make these the majority again? I have no desrie to have two parties competing for the votes of people who want a handout. Besides, it doesn’t work. The Dems win that contest every time.

My guess is there are two possible outcomes to the era of Obama. In one case, the chickens of Obams’s fascist (command & control redistribution) economic policies come home to roost and the country realizes what an utter failure Obama and his ideas were. In this sense, Obama becomes the embodiment of Reagan’s vindication and in the process destroys the Democratic party’s viability for a decade or more. This is the event, or series of events, that conservatives have been waiting for during Obama’s first term. We’re waiting for “gravity” to kick in. So far, it hasn’t. The second possible outcome is that Progressivism, in all its forms, has so dessicated the core values that make up the American character that we become a nation of a permanent taker-majority.

I’m of the belief that 2012 answered the question as to which outcome will be the case. So Jindal & others are simply whistling past a graveyard. The problem isn’t a “party of stupid,” but rather a nation of stupid.